Karin Buhmann: Inaugural Lecture

Business and Human Rights: Navigating a maze and managing risks

Short introduction

Human rights issues have moved forcefully into the private sector sphere in practice as well as theory. Economic practices may benefit human rights, yet child labour, excessive working hours, lives or limbs lost to unsafe buildings or machinery, and forced labour or trafficking-like practices cause firms considerable reputational damage. Many other practices conflict with human rights in ways that are more subtle but no less significant to the affected individuals or groups, or to the firms’ relations with local communities, employees, business partners, investors, consumers or media.

The rise in expectations or requirements on the private sector to manage its human rights impact has been accompanied by a shift from private to public or public-private governance of business responsibilities for human rights. Innovative co-regulation and changes in due diligence concepts have played important roles in establishing Business & Human Rights (‘BHR’) as a new field of scholarship, autonomous but closely related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Insights from BHR complement CSR through methods and standards.
In her inaugural lecture as Professor MSO of Business and Human Rights at CBS, Karin Buhmann will give examples of the complexity of business impact on human rights and of key elements in the discursive development of normative instruments that guide firms in managing their impact on human rights.

Study

Karin Buhmann holds a dr.scient.adm. degree based on a study of the evolution of the BHR regime (Roskilde University) and a PhD degree in law (Aarhus University), a Master of International Public Law (Lund University) and degrees in law and East Asian studies from the University of Copenhagen. She is employed at the Department of Intercultural Communication and Management (ICM).

Time

14:00-15:00 - followed up by a reception in PH18A, kitchen on 1st floor